In the recent International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings for batsmen, Virat Kohli has retained the top spot.
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne and Pakistan captain Babar Azam moved up quite a few places too.
While - as many legends say - there is no match when it comes to the Indian skipper, there is one player who could achieve what Kohli has achieved.
Always compared to the Indian batsman is prolific Pakistan batsman Babar Azam. The 24-year-old has confessed on several occasions that he is a fan of Kohli and said he aspires to emulate the world’s No.1 Test and ODI batsman.
In an interview with PTI, Babar said, “Look he (Kohli) has already achieved a lot. He is a legend in his country. Honestly, there is no comparison with me right now but eventually, I also want to get where he is today.
“The media and people have drawn comparisons between me and Virat Kohli but I realise that I still need to get more runs in red-ball cricket to be ranked among the top players. That is why in recent months I have been focusing a lot on getting consistent scores in Test matches”.
Babar - who scored his second Test hundred against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi - said he wanted to be a batsman who, like Kohli, could win more matches.
“I don’t feel any pressure if anyone compares me with Kohli or (Steve) Smith. I am now more focused on my batting and I spend hours watching videos of my innings. I catch my mistakes and then I try to ensure I don’t commit them again the next time,” he said.
Babar also spoke about how the traditional format remains the most difficult. “When I got out cheaply to a bad shot in the first innings at Brisbane, I was very cross with myself because I realised no top batman should get out like that. In the following innings I made it a point to be patient and build my innings although playing strokes comes naturally to me,” he explained.
“Someday I am looking at a triple century. You need to set yourself goals as all top players do. I have set myself the target of becoming consistent in test cricket as well.”
With Test cricket having returned back to Pakistan, the team and fans are excited said Babar as it was an ambition fulfilled for him.
“We have played T20 and ODI matches in Pakistan but playing a Test is a totally different experience. Scoring a century in front of my home crowd was the icing on the cake for me,” he said.
The young batsman - who has a batting average of 50 in T20 internationals and 54 in ODIs - said he has been improving his batting average.
“...I was not sure about myself. But things improved with time. Now I am relishing the challenge of playing red-ball cricket. I have learned the virtues of patience. White ball cricket, I think, comes more naturally for me,” he concluded.
